First appearance

Appearances

Found

Use

Increases weight

"You got the Iron Boots! So heavy, you can't run. So heavy, you can't float."

— In-game description

The Iron Boots (アイアンブーツ,Aian Būtsu?) are a recurring item in the Legend of Zelda series. As their name implies, these special boots weigh down Link significantly when worn, allowing him to sink to the bottom of bodies of water, to withstand strong winds, or to press rusty Foot Switches. However, the boots impede movement on land.

Contents

Appearances

The Iron Boots are found in the Ice Cavern, where they are guarded by a White Wolfos. Link needs to retrieve them in order to gain access to the sunken Water Temple at the bottom of Lake Hylia. The Iron Boots display another use in the Shadow Temple; they allow Link to resist the high winds caused by the many fans.

Interestingly, the Iron Boots are almost identical to the Kokiri Boots in appearance; the only difference being the iron along the soles. Also, Ocarina of Time is the only game in the Zelda series where the Iron boots are not equipped as an item, but as equipment, such as the tunics and swords.

In the Nintendo 3DSre-release, the Iron Boots can be equipped as an item rather than accessing the equipment subscreen, much like how they are used in later games. This was done to make areas with constant boot changing less tedious.

The Iron Boots are found inside Ice Ring Isle and are necessary to access the Wind Temple. When worn, they can keep Link grounded when confronted with strong winds, increase traction on ice as well as activate certain switches and springs. However, if Link enters a body of water while wearing the boots, he will automatically un-equip them to prevent from sinking. When used in conjunction with the Hookshot, Link can pull down certain heavy statues; when doing so, he must be careful not to be standing where the statue would fall, lest he suffer damage.

Notably, obtaining the boots earlier than necessary decreases the difficulty of the battle against Jalhalla, the boss of the Earth Temple, as they offer protection against his gust attacks.

"Hey, hang on! Wait! You've gotta defeat the Gorons, right? Well, you're not going to do it without this little secret of mine!"

— Mayor Bo

The Iron Boots are given to Link by Mayor Bo after Link defeats him in a sumo match. When Link equips them, he can manage to halt rolling Gorons along the trail to Death Mountain and throw them a short distance. They must also be used for Link to win a sumo match against the Goron Elder, Gor Coron, a renowned sumo wrestler among the Gorons; the boots are the mayor's secret to winning against the Gorons in sumo, as a human's weight is inferior to a Goron's without them. These Iron Boots also have a new use; Link can use them to traverse Magnetic Fields.

Until Link receives the Zora Armor, these boots are the only way for Link to sink to the bottom of pools of water. While submerged with the Iron Boots equipped, Link is able to swing his sword or use Water Bombs, but will receive an instant Game Over should his oxygen meter be fully depleted. Also, he tends to move slower underwater unless he wears the Zora Armor. With the boots on, Link can also attack enemies while rolling and this attack is powerful enough to knock Bokoblins and Bulblins on their backs, making them susceptible to Ending Blow if Link is quick enough.

The Iron Boots are vital for defeating dungeon bosses Fyrus, Morpheel, and Argorok. Interestingly, if Link stands over quicksand, he will immediately sink. Additionally, if the Iron Boots are worn while hanging onto a Peahat, it will slowly descend due to the weight, and if he wears them on one of the ice floes floating on the frozen lake at Snowpeak, the ice will sink and he will freeze. They can also be used to increase the speed he descends while gliding using a Cucco, which can prove useful in Falbi's Flight-by-Fowl as it allows Link to control which platform he lands on if timed correctly.

Weight

With the help of a large balance scale found in the Temple of Time and a number of statues, it is possible to infer that the Iron Boots alone weigh more than 4.5 times Link's normal weight in Twilight Princess.

Though the Iron Boots do not appear themselves, they are referenced in the Level 1 and Level 2 weapons in the Boots moveset used by Linkle. Linkle's Level 1 Winged Boots are based on the design of the Iron Boots from Ocarina of Time, while her Level 2 Roc Boots are based on the design of the Iron Boots from Twilight Princess. However they lack the weight of the Iron Boots and thus do not weigh Linkle down at all, as their function is primarily based on the Pegasus Boots. Their design also features the addition of feathers (presumably Golden and Roc Feathers respectively).